


in the lost age

by chime



Category: Kamen Rider Build
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-05-04 18:42:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14599305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chime/pseuds/chime
Summary: In the city-state of Touto a member of an elite guard to a prickly priestess becomes entangled with a researcher of arcane magic and his many problems.





	1. meetings

**Author's Note:**

> there aren't really any spoilers in the first chapter but overall there will be spoilers for episode 31 onward so, watch out! that being said this isn't a complete rewrite of the plot, just taking certain elements from the series.
> 
> i was thinking about character archetypes and how banjou is more of a traditional heroic knight character and things kind of snowballed. this is potentially the most self-indulgent and ambitious thing i've ever started... i hope you enjoy it!

“Hey.”

 

“... Hello?” says the researcher, clearly confused. Probably because Ryuuga just walked into his office without knocking or anything.

 

Ryuuga knows who the researcher is, obviously. He wouldn’t have come all the way out here if he didn’t have a reason. A reason unrelated to spending all day inside reading _books_.

 

Sento Kiryuu is a recent addition - working with the temple despite being stationed in the royal archives. He’d heard Misora recommended him, but he hasn’t been able to confirm that. Either way, Kiryuu wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy - the temple’s been bringing in a ton of new blood since the untimely death of Misora’s father - if not for these rumors following him around. Rumors Ryuuga doesn’t really like.

 

Ryuuga doesn’t usually pay attention to stuff like this, but he can’t overlook people picking on the new guy. It’s not cool.

 

Ryuuga leans in close, saying, “Can I talk to you? In private.”

 

They’re in an office connected to the archives reserved for Kiryuu’s personal use. Kiryuu gives the empty room a pointed once-over. Then, like he thinks Ryuuga’s not smart enough to take a hint, he says, “Go for it.”

 

Ryuuga’s known this guy for like a minute and Kiryuu’s already starting to annoy him, but he still has to know. He keeps his voice low and conspiratory when he asks, “Have you heard any weird rumors lately?”

 

“Rumors?” Kiryuu asks, and Ryuuga’s starting to feel kind of embarrassed. Does this dude actually ever leave the archives? Then he says, “Oh, you mean about me being cursed.”

 

Ryuuga leans back then, shocked. The way he said it, like he was talking about the weather and not that he’d been cursed by Isurugi’s murderer. “Uh. Yeah? Does that not bother you?”

 

Kiryuu frowns. “Is that why you came to talk to me? To ask if I’m cursed?”

 

This conversation was _way_ off track. “No! I just… I didn’t think it was right, for people to say those things about someone they didn’t know. So I wanted you to know.”

 

Kiryuu stares at him, and then bursts out laughing. This dude sucks. “You wanted to know if my _feelings_ were hurt?”

 

“Wh-what’s so wrong with that? Can’t a guy do something nice?”

 

“I didn’t know knights could be such saps.” Kiryuu says. “Do you always go to bat for people you don’t know?”

 

“Misora picked you. So I thought you must be alright.” Ryuuga explains, agitated. “I might have been wrong about that, though.”

 

Kiryuu shrugs. “Probably! I _am_ cursed, after all.”

 

“You - Wait, seriously?” Ryuuga says.

 

Kiryuu picks up a heavy book lying on his desk and says, “Seriously!” He waves the book at Ryuuga. “This was fun, but I’m actually kind of busy. Don’t you have some kind of knight thing to do? Like squats?”

 

“What? No,” Ryuuga says, though now that he thinks about it he has been slacking on his quads. He shakes his head. “No, you can’t just spring that on a person and tell them to leave.”

 

“I just did, actually,” Kiryuu says. He rests the book on his shoulder and says, like he’s still thinking about it, “If you really want to talk to me about this, you can have lunch with me. Misora keeps telling me she’ll flay me if I don’t eat. So I am very free around then.”

 

Ryuuga nods. Misora would do it. “Fine.” Ryuuga says. Not that he particularly wants to spend an extended amount of time with Kiryuu, but he is really curious.

 

One lunch couldn’t hurt, Ryuuga decides as he makes his way out of the archives. (And promptly gets lost.)

 

\---

 

Ryuuga doesn’t see Kiryuu the next day. Or the day after that. He wants to get the drop on him. Take him off guard a bit. Though that didn’t stop him from confusing the hell out of Ryuuga last time they talked, he guesses. Part of it is, he’ll admit, nervousness - Kiryuu is decently attractive, and really smart if his position means anything. And obviously he’s close enough to Misora for her to threaten to kill him. All these factors add up to a fairly intimidating next encounter, if his math is right.

 

He decides to go on Friday, when he’s not working. He doesn’t really know what hours a researcher works in a place like an archives but it’s probably like, a Monday-Friday thing? He doesn’t want to put it off til next week, anyway. That would be rude.

 

Then he’s standing in front of Kiryuu’s office, trying to get himself to knock. He shouldn’t have put it off so much, now it’s a _thing_.

 

The issue is settled for him when the door just opens. Kiryuu is standing in the doorway, nonplussed.

 

“I thought I heard someone out there. Ten minutes ago. Were you standing here for ten minutes?” Kiryuu says, raising an eyebrow.

 

“ _No_ ,” Ryuuga says.

 

Kiryuu hums and turns, walking into his office. That’s an invitation, Ryuuga guesses, and follows him.

 

“So,” Kiryuu says, sitting at his desk. Either he’d already eaten or he just didn’t have a lunch, because there’s no food. Ryuuga takes the seat across from him. “You know who I am, and I have a pretty good idea of who you are, but I think we should introduce ourselves anyway.”

 

Ryuuga frowns. He didn’t actually think about whether Kiryuu would know him. “You know who I am?”

 

Kiryuu spreads his hands. “A gallant knight rushing in to save someone weaker than himself, who talks about Misora like they’re friends, and he’s rude? Like I said, I have a pretty good idea.”

 

Ryuuga looks down, feeling bashful. “I didn’t think someone like you would be concerned with -- Rude?!”

 

Kiryuu smiles. “I am Sento Kiryuu, researcher at the royal archives. Don’t ask what I’m researching - that’s a secret!” He winks.

 

“Uh,” Ryuuga says. Whatever he’s researching is also probably indescribably boring, so pass. “I’m Ryuuga Banjou, but you knew that. I’m one of Misora’s guards, which is sort of different from being a knight. What don’t you know?”

 

Kiryuu shrugs and says, “You’d be surprised.”

 

Ryuuga frowns at him. “Where’s your lunch?” He asks, because it’s been bugging him.

 

Kiryuu puts on this exaggerated look of surprise as he looks in front of him.

 

“Don’t they give you food or something?” Ryuuga asks. He grabbed something from the knight’s canteen on his way over, since it was his day off, but the people at the temple usually just provide something ready-made for him.

 

“Well, usually I make something but I got back home late last night.” Sento says, looking sort of excited when he says, “Actually, I hit a big milestone in my research - did you know there’s a type of, it’s kind of like an ore but also not really but when you _purify_ it it can -”

 

“Hang on,” Ryuuga says. He tears his sandwich in half and hands it to Kiryuu. “I have a feeling I’m going to have no clue what you’re talking about.”

 

Kiryuu takes the food with an odd expression. “Thanks,” he says.

 

Banjou shrugs. “I don’t need Misora worrying about you, she’s got her own problems.”

 

Kiryuu looks surprised, but doesn’t say anything.

 

“So, like,” Banjou says, “How do you know Misora?”

 

“Her dad helped me a year ago, when I lost my memory and woke up in the temple’s garden.”

 

Banjou chokes. “You _what_?”

 

“I don’t know who I was before about a year and a half ago. That’s the curse.”

 

Banjou frowns. “Why are you telling me this?”

 

“Don’t get too excited,” Kiryuu says, “I don’t keep it a secret. It’s fun to break out at parties you don’t want to be at.”

 

“Still,” he continues, “I figured I should tell you, since you were so concerned.”

 

“So… You _want_ to be left alone.” Banjou says, slowly. He tells people he’s cursed, and they tell other people, and he gets to do his research in peace.

 

Kiryuu shrugs. “I wouldn’t put it like that. Maybe it’s like… It’s better if I’m alone?”

 

Before Ryuuga can respond, Sento stands. “This was fun, but I think I should get back to work. You can come again, if you want.” He pauses. “But maybe warn me next time.”

  
Later, Ryuuga is still mulling over what happened. He decides, eventually, on two things. He’s definitely going back. And he’s _definitely_ not going to warn him.


	2. questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why does everyone around Ryuuga have to be so cryptic about everything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! surprise! i'm still working on this. i really appreciate the feedback & support on this and my other fics!! :) the actual plot part starts picking up around here, so i hope you enjoy!
> 
> also, i did not mention that the title is from [age of kings by the mountain goats](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ALH_bGywM), so i am doing that now.

Ryuuga comes back again, and again. Their lunches become a kind of semi-weekly thing, and Ryuuga ends up learning a lot about Sento (he  _ insists  _ on being called Sento, which is fine by Ryuuga, who never cared for rank anyway).

 

The first and probably most important thing he learns is that the guy is a  _ mess _ . Ryuuga gets used to sharing his meals - Sento insists that he can cook, but he always has some excuse for why he doesn’t. Once Ryuuga walked into his office and Sento was dead asleep at his desk. He didn’t even wake up when he drew a bunch of stuff on his face.

 

It’s not like Ryuuga’s the most put-together person himself, but he didn’t really expect such a smart guy to be so bad at such simple things.

 

Despite that, he goes back. He’s not dense enough to keep thinking it’s still for Misora - Sento is a decent person. If he knows who Ryuuga is and still wants him around, he must be.

 

Ryuuga is pulled out of what he considers a very important reverie by a gruff voice.

 

“Hey, Ryuuga. I gotta talk to you.” His captain, Kazumi, says, slinging an arm around his shoulder.

 

Ryuuga likes Kazumi, though he’d never tell him, ever. He’s the only person on the guard who speaks casually with him (or speaks with him at all), which is nice. Some people get too hung up on the past.

 

“Yeah?” Ryuuga says. Play it cool.

 

“Been hearing some things about you.” Kazumi looks over his shoulder. Ryuuga follows his gaze. Kazumi’s three shadows aren’t around today, but there are still some guys milling around the training grounds. They are determinedly not looking at them. Of course.

 

“Uh,” Ryuuga says, “Things?”

 

“About you and Sento Kiryuu.”

 

“What, that we’re hanging out?” Ryuuga says, brow furrowing. “Whatever he has going on, it’s not contagious.”

 

Kazumi studies him for a moment. “You know the curse isn’t the only thing about him, right?”

 

“... What?”

 

“I don’t believe what anyone says, of course. Not if Misora vouches for him.” Kazumi says, decisively. “Still, you should talk to her about Sento Kiryuu. Then make up your mind if it’s a good idea for you to hang around him.”

 

“What are you  _ talking _ about -” Ryuuga says, but Kazumi is already patting him on the shoulder and walking away.

 

Why does everyone around him have to be so cryptic about everything?

 

\---

 

As part of Misora’s guard, Ryuuga is generally familiar with her schedule. It’s just that her schedule is full of  _ rituals _ and  _ commitments _ , so getting to actually talk to her is a huge endeavor.

 

Ryuuga isn’t really sure how Misora handles it all - even when she was just in training to be a priestess she was easily fatigued, and crabby besides. Ryuuga’d probably have left by now.

 

Misora hasn’t. Whatever the reason for that is, it makes her a hell of a lot stronger than him. Even if Ryuuga would never tell her that in a million years.

 

So he decides to do the second best thing: talk to Sawa.

 

Sawa knows everyone and everything. More importantly, Sawa is Misora’s best friend. She has an official title, something to do with a merchant sponsor, but that means nothing to Ryuuga really.

 

He just wants some answers.

 

\---

 

Ryuuga’s next meeting with Sento is strained, to say the least.

 

He’d half-considered not going, but knew that wasn’t fair to the guy. Sento didn’t even know what was going on, after all.

 

That didn’t make things any less  _ awkward _ .

 

“What?” Ryuuga finally asked.

 

Sento was resting his chin on his hand, plainly scrutinizing him. “Something’s on your mind,” he said, “Fortunately for you, I’m no mind reader.  _ Un _ fortunately, that makes our conversation somewhat one-sided, doesn’t it?”

 

Ryuuga thought back, and felt suddenly guilty. He’d been so preoccupied he barely answered Sento’s questions, or paid attention to his magic talk (not that he ever understood any of that). He says, sheepish, “Oh, uh. Sorry. Just… thinking.”

 

Sento gasps. Ryuuga rolls his eyes.

 

“I can guess.” Sento says, and taps his finger on his desk. Ryuuga is about to stop him when he says, “A girl.”

 

Ryuuga frowns, because okay, kind of, but not what Sento’s thinking at all. “It’s not like -”

 

Sento holds up his finger. He wags it, which is just unnecessary. “A girl is coming here, soon. And you’re going to meet her. Right?”

 

“Right…” Ryuuga says. Was he a fortune teller, instead of a mind reader? He could have said so earlier.

 

Now Sento rolls his eyes. “I’m Sawa’s friend too, Banjou. Of course I know she’s coming back, and I checked who’s escorting her.”

 

Sawa traveled often, and while her combat expertise was impressive, it was still customary to have her escorted back to the temple by a guard. (Sawa hated the idea, but Misora finally made her concede to at  _ least _ one.) A waste of resources, if you asked Ryuuga, since Sawa could take care of herself and then some. Convenient, though, for a private conversation. Easy to get the assigned guard to switch with him, too, since getting into town from the temple was such a pain.

 

Ryuuga is thoroughly unimpressed. He hopes Sento can hear how unimpressed he is when he says, “You could have just said that.”

 

Sento smiles, sly. The way that always makes Ryuuga nervous. (Though that might be the wrong word.) “And where’s the fun in that?”

 

\---

 

The Temple of Vernage was about a day’s trip away to and from the central hub of the capital, where the usual meeting place - a statue of the goddess - was. Simple and routine.

 

Of course, things could never be simple for Ryuuga.

 

He makes it to the meeting place. The square wasn’t too crowded, so he didn’t worry about Sawa finding him in his uniform with its green and gold. He was finishing off the meat skewer he got while he waited when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

 

Ryuuga turned. And nearly dropped the skewer. “Kasumi?”

 

Kasumi smiled, bright. She really did have a great smile. “Surprise!”

 

Kasumi was his childhood friend. He was sure he was going to marry her, once. A long time ago. After everything that happened, he knew she couldn’t be with someone like him.

 

“It’s really good to see you.” Ryuuga says. “You’re looking good. Healthy, I mean.”

 

Kasumi tucks her hair behind her ear, shy. He meant it - there’s more color in her cheeks than last time he saw her. That chirurgeon must have been the real deal. “Thank you.”

 

“Didn’t take you for someone to shirk his duties to flirt, Ryuuga Banjou.”

 

“Sawa! I was - I’m waiting for you!”

 

“A likely story,” Sawa says, but she’s smiling. Sawa didn’t seem to get mad at anyone, which mostly made Ryuuga wonder what she did get mad about.

 

At Kasumi’s look, Ryuuga says, “Ah, sorry - I’m here for the Temple, to escort someone…”

 

Sawa holds out a hand for Kasumi. “Sawa Takigawa. A pleasure!”

 

Kasumi shakes her hand, nonplussed. Sawa had that effect on people. “K-Kasumi Ogura.” She looks between the two of them, and then bows. “Please take care of Ryuuga.”

 

Ryuuga feels his face heat. “ _ Kasumi…” _

 

She straightens and pouts at him. “You can be a handful.”

 

Sawa laughs. Ryuuga sighs, clearly outmatched.

 

Later, after saying his goodbyes to Kasumi and dragging Sawa away so they stop gossiping about him, Sawa says, “She was very nice.” She looks up, at the clear sky above them. “Do you miss the city?”

 

Ryuuga shrugs. “I’m used to it, now.”

 

Sawa laughs, but it’s a sad sound. “I can understand that.”

 

Now that they were alone, and on the road, Ryuuga figures there’s not better time to ask. “Hey, can I ask you something? About Sento.”

 

Sawa looks at him, surprised. “I’d heard you were spending time together.”

 

“My captain talked to me, said there was something up with him. I know he’s cursed or something, but there’s more than that, isn’t there?”

 

There is a pause. Carefully, Sawa says, “You can’t ask him?”

 

“He wouldn’t give me a straight answer, I can tell. Everyone  _ else  _ seems to know, but they won’t tell me.”

 

Sawa sighs. “Everyone else is wrong.” She holds up a finger, and begins tracing letters in the air, leaving shimmering white trails in their wake. Nodding to herself, she turns back to Ryuuga. “I’ll figure out how you can talk to Misora alone. But be careful, okay? It’s about her dad.”

 

Ryuuga frowns, but agrees. He knows Sawa probably wouldn’t answer if he asks. He has no idea what her dad has to do with Sento’s social exile.

 

Soon, he’ll figure out what the hell is going on.

 

\---

 

At the appointed time, Ryuuga waits outside the Temple’s inner sanctum. Only Misora is allowed inside, because of her connection to Vernage. Or something. Ryuuga’s not completely sure if he believes any of this, even now.

 

The large wooden doors open, and Misora walks out. There are, naturally, guards already stationed at the doors.

 

Misora looks tired. She always looks tired, these days. She waves at him. “Come on.”

 

Misora strides down the hall, and Ryuuga follows. “Being the high priestess hasn’t improved your manners much.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Misora says, “I’m hungry.”

 

“Fair.”

 

Ryuuga takes naps in the garden, sometimes. The air is nice and clean, and the flowers are beautiful. Being here makes him sleepy.

 

“Sawa said you had a question.” Misora says. She’s already finished her lunch. Ryuuga refused to sit, because even if he doesn’t care about rank he knows what could get him in trouble.

 

“Um,” Ryuuga says, now unsure. “About Sento.”

 

“What? If he’s single?” Misora says, head on her hand.

 

“No! Come on, I’m trying to be serious! This is serious. I think.”

 

Slowly, Misora straightens in her seat. “How serious?”

 

“Nobody will tell me what’s up with him. Why is he here, suddenly?”

 

“I recommended him, after I... “ She frowns. “Ascended. Sento stayed with us, with me and my dad, for over a year. He was smart. He knew things about magic very few people could know. He deserves to use his talents.” Misora says. She sighs, and runs a hand through her hair. Ryuuga wonders if Sento picked that up from her, or if it was the other way around. “There is more to it than that, I guess.”

 

Misora takes a deep breath. Ryuuga waits.

 

“Okay,” Misora begins, “He told you he doesn’t have his memories, right? He tells everyone. He thinks it’s hilarious. But that’s suspicious, isn’t it? Someone just showing up, no memories, lots of weird knowledge. Especially after…” She shakes her head. “We couldn’t tell anyone. When my father… When he died, half a year ago, Sento was the one to find him. Doesn’t it make sense, that he would have been the one to kill him?”

 

“What?”

 

Misora won’t look at him. She stares at the table, and he can tell she’s mad. “He didn’t. He wouldn’t have. But that’s what’s ‘up’ with him.”

 

“What does that have to do with him being here?”

 

“You know better than anyone.” She rubs her face, tired. “Since nobody knew him, and he didn’t have a place to go, it was easy to keep him here. He can’t leave. I keep an eye on him. But he has to prove himself.”

 

Ryuuga does know. He wishes he had sat down at the beginning.

 

“I can’t tell you any more than that,” Misora says. “So don’t ask.”

 

“I figured. Thanks for telling me.”

 

Misora shrugs. “I trust you. Someone’s gotta keep you in the loop, since you can’t do it yourself.”

 

“Hey,” Ryuuga says, with no heat.

 

Misora’s looking at him, though, face serious. “Can I ask you something, in return? A favor.”

 

Surprised, Ryuuga nods. Only fair.

 

“Can you look after Sento for me?” Misora says. “I think… He’s getting himself into something dangerous.”


End file.
